Editorial: Voters mail it in in Potter County

If early signs are any indication, Potter County is about to be blown out of the water.

And that’s good news for those who value the power of the vote — and hopefully, that is everybody.

As of Friday, Potter County had received 923 applications for mail-in ballots for the March 4 election, according to the Potter County Office of Elections Administration.

That may not look like a significant number, but it is — and it is reason for optimism.

That number far eclipses the number of mail-in ballot applications the county received for the last election, the Nov. 5 constitutional amendment election. As one Potter County employee put it: “(Nine hundred and twenty-three) blows that out of the water.”

Granted — elections chock-full of constitutional amendments that some voters cannot comprehend are not exactly sexy as far as politics, but don’t get greedy.

Voter turnout in Potter County was 11.2 percent for the Nov. 5 election, with 50,540 registered voters and 5,660 ballots cast.

Early voting for the March 4 primary election does not start until Feb. 18, yet it appears Potter County will easily pass four figures as far as mail-in ballot applications.

The county gives some of the credit to political groups, primarily Republican, for helping get out the word on mail-in ballot applications.

It also doesn’t hurt that the county has a crowded five-person race (with plenty of sidebars and even a little drama) to replace longtime Potter County Judge Arthur Ware, who is not running for re-election.

Not to be overlooked, but there is an interesting race for County Court At Law No. 1 between an incumbent with more than 20 years in office and a worthy challenger.

No matter whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, more voters going to the polls and exercising arguably the most important freedom Americans enjoy would be a welcome change from voter apathy.